To get the best out of your walking it is important to remember your posture.

Good posture affects your whole body – including your digestion, breathing and blood circulation.

I have compiled some tips to help you check out how you walk.
They apply whether you are walking on a treadmill, in a Mall or outside in the open air.

Posture is the way in which you carry your body.

When walking with good posture, your ear, shoulder, hip, and ankle should be in a line.
It can be difficult to work out whether you are walking like this - so these tips will help.

First
You need to get a feel of how you should stand.
The best way to do this is to -
Imagine a cord attached to the top of your head (not your forehead) and this cord is gently pulling upwards - feel your body straighten.

Try this standing still and then walking.

Eyes
Your eyes should be focussing ahead, about 12 to 18 foot, not looking down at the ground.
Try not to bend your head and look at the ground all the time.
If you feel the need to look down then use your eyes. instead.

Chin
Your chin should not be stuck out but relaxed and parallel to the ground. This is important to remember as it will lessen the strain on your neck and back.

Shoulders
Your shoulders should be relaxed and slightly back, as this opens out your chest helping those lungs to take in more air.
If you let your shoulders slump forward (and have a rounded back) you are compressing your ribcage and shortening your spine.

Trunk
Your trunk – think of that cord gently keeping your body in a straight shape and don’t lean forward at the waist.
Your stomach should be slightly pulled in.

Arms
When walking swing your arms to keep your balance, allow them to be naturally close to your body.
Your hands should also be relaxed, not clenched or tight.
If you are using a walking pole then try not to hold it too tightly or you will end up with blisters on your hands.

Legs/Stride
Let your legs swing forward naturally rather than trying to force them to spring forward. Your forward leg should be exactly in front of your body.
A common fault is to take overlong strides – this will make it harder work for you and increase chances of injury.

Find your natural pace and stay with it – if you want to walk faster then just take more steps. Remember your body should not lean forwards or backwards as you walk.

At first you might find that you have to make a determined effort to keep your posture correct.
It might feel strange, but persevere and gradually you will feel yourself adopting better posture naturally and get the maximium benefits from your walking.